Doers of Torah: Lights from the Targumim and Their Implication for Jas 1.22

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the phrase ‘doers of the word’ in Jas 1.22 is derived from the Hebrew expression הרותה ישוע‎ or the Aramaic one אתירוא ידבע‎. Both phrases possess an identical meaning that remained stable over time, functioning almost as technical terms. The first one is found in some Pesharim from Qumran while the second appears in the Targumim. In both corpora, the phrase is consistently found in contexts of judgment (often implying a division within the elect people between those who remained faithful to God and those who did not) and bears strong ethical overtones. Most of these passages are eschatologically oriented and present the ‘doers of the law’ as closely related to the Messiah. I suggest that the expression found in James still carries the overtones of the original phrase it translates.